The coordination council for the preparation of the Republic of

The coordination council for the preparation of the Republic of Bulgaria for eurozone membership adopted at its meeting the updated Communication Strategy for information and publicity of the country`s accession to the eurozone, announced the press center of the Ministry of Finance. The new texts envisage, at the beginning, the campaign to acquaint citizens with the benefits and effects of eurozone membership. A goal has also been set to take measures to counteract any misinformation that misleads and instills unfounded concerns among citizens about this key step to raise the standard of living in Bulgaria. In the update, the phases of the campaign are planned, taking into account the changed perspective for Bulgaria`s membership for January 1, 2025, a number of new communication activities are added and those foreseen in the previous strategy are changed. The document envisages the implementation of a large-scale communication and information campaign, which will familiarize citizens with the benefits of introducing the single European currency as an official means of payment in our country, with the medium and long-term effects for the country and with all practical aspects important for the process to proceed, by providing accurate, accessible and timely information. It is planned that the campaign will take place in three main phases - preparatory, actual and actual, and the second phase will be the most intensive. The first phase will be aimed at providing information about the benefits and opportunities for Bulgaria from joining the Eurozone and about the country`s readiness to meet the Maastricht criteria. Even at this stage, the goal is to answer the questions that are important to people and to cut off opportunities to spread speculation and false statements about the topic. The second phase will mainly focus on practical information on the adoption of the single European currency. It aims to inform stakeholders about the overall process and their commitments, as well as how the adoption of the euro will affect all aspects of people`s lives. It will be explained how the conversion of loans and deposits will be carried out, the administrative steps to be taken by legal entities, the changes in accounting, what are the security features of euro coins and banknotes, how the double marking of prices in commercial establishments will be carried out, where and how to report irregularities. The third phase will be very important for the confirmation of the new currency after its official adoption, as well as for increasing the confidence of citizens in the institutions. It will be aimed both at recalling key practical information and at introducing citizens to the measures that the state takes to protect consumer rights. It is planned to involve many Bulgarian institutions in the communication campaign - in addition to the leading Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Finance and the Bulgarian National Bank, other ministries, the Commission for Consumer Protection, municipalities, " Bulgarian Post " and others will take an active part in the campaign.